Top Ten Cooking Tips

Just in time for the Holidays here's a gift from In Good Taste to you.  We put together 10 great cooking tips to help you in the kitchen over the holidays. 

1. Saute Technique - To help keep food from sticking always heat the pan first and then add the oil.  Heating the pan first allows the pores to open and fill with oil.  This prevents the food from getting stuck in the pores of the pan.
2. Peeling Garlic - Here's a quick way to peel garlic.  Break apart the head of garlic and put the cloves in a metal container with a lid.  A coffee can or a metal bowl with a plate over the top works great.  Shake the garlic in the container until the skins release.  Open the container and remove the peeled cloves leaving the skins behind.
3. Mise en Place - This French term means everything in its place.  Before cooking chefs prepare all their ingredients and arrange them in the order of the recipe.  Mise en place helps guide the cook through the recipe.  Mise en placing also helps ensure all ingredients have been prepped before cooking begins.
4. Timer for Baking - Always use a timer when baking.  Baked goods usually have a very small window of doneness.  Baked goods can go from perfectly baked to over cooked in a matter of 30 seconds.  Initially set the timer for 75% of the required baking time.  If more time is required continue resetting the timer for 50% of the remaining bake time.  Say a recipe calls for a cake to bake for 40 minutes.  The timer will be set for 30 minutes to start.  If after 30 minutes the cake needs more time, the timer is set for 5 minutes (1/2 of the remaining 10 minutes).  If after 5 minutes the cake needs more time, the timer is set for 2 1/2 minutes (1/2 of the remaining 5 minutes) and so on until the cake is done. 
5. Digital Thermometer - Digital thermometers are a great tool to help determine the doneness of food.  From cooking meats to temperature to cooking custards, thermometers are a necessary tool.  I prefer digital thermometers for accuracy.  If using an analog thermometer make sure it has been calibrated first.
6. Read the Recipe - Always read the entire recipe through before starting.  Look for items that need to be chopped or prepared before cooking.  Identify and gather equipment. 
7. Season in Layers - Season in layers while cooking.  Seasoning food before cooking or as it cooks helps to distribute the salt.  It also allows the food to absorb the salt seasoning ingredients from the inside out.  This brings out more flavor and helps reduce the amount of salt needed to season. 
8. Taste, Taste and Taste - Tasting is a very important part of cooking.  A good chef tastes their food from start to finish.  Tasting helps identify problems early in the cooking process and it also helps with seasoning in layers.  Tasting throughout the cooking process will help you to develop natural cooking instincts and better understand how flavors change and develop.
9. Fond = Flavor - Fond is the French term for all those bits of food left in the pan after roasting or pan roasting meats.  Fond has great flavor and should be incorporated into a sauce for the meat.  Fond can be removed from a hot pan by deglazing.  Deglaze hot pans by adding a water based liquid such as wine or stock.  Stir and scrape the bits of food into the liquid.  Make sure fond is not too brown or burnt before using it in a sauce. 
10. Use the Right Oil - Using the correct oil when cooking depends on the application.  When cooking with oil, avoid flavored or expensive oil, such as olive oil, which loses its flavor when heated.  Instead use canola or grapeseed oil.  Just make sure the oil you use for cooking has been refined for high heat or the oil may become acrid when heated.  Use extra virgin olive oil for low heat cooking or making vinaigrettes. 

For more great cooking tips sign up for our Basics of Cooking Class on Saturday, January 14 at 1:00.  This class is taught by our Executive Chef Jeremy Niehuss and covers many of the basics of cooking like a pro!